Refn’s agents confirm to EW that he’s in early talks to direct the movie based on the TV series, which ran from the mid to late 1980s, starring Edward Woodward and Keith Szarabajka.

Production on the film, scripted by Richard Wenk, is slated to begin in late spring 2013, with Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, Alex Siskin, Mace Neufeld, Tony Eldridge, Michael Sloan (the show’s original co-creator), and Washington himself producing, and David Bloomfield as executive producer.

Refn scored last year directing the noir-ish throwback Drive, with Ryan Gosling praised for his starring role as a quiet getaway driver prone to violence.